Follow this basic dialing procedure to place an international long-distance call from any country worldwide to a landline or mobile phone number in Chennai, India.

The procedure outlined below is most applicable to direct international dialing from a landline or mobile phone in the home or office. Dialing procedures may differ when using a calling card or a VoIP internet calling service.

1. Dial international access code / IDD: xxx

Note that some mobile operators do not require dialing an IDD for certain calls and/or allow use of substitute characters (such as '+') in lieu of dialing an IDD. As well, in many cases you don't dial an IDD when using a calling card or VoIP service.

2. Dial India country code: 91

Dial country code +91 to reach any location in India. Country codes are also known as ISDs or international subscriber dialing codes.

If your Chennai phone number starts with a '0' - e.g., 044 - 44481800, delete the '0'. The '0' is a national direct dial (NDD) code and is used only for calls within India.

4. Determine if calling to landline or mobile phone

Landline and mobile phone numbers are slightly different in Chennai, as elsewhere in India. All India numbers are 10-digits, but landline numbers are 8-digits and require a separate 2-digit area code. Mobile numbers are 10-digits and do not require the area code. Check here to learn how to tell a landline phone number from a mobile phone number.

Dialing Tips

If you are in an office or building with a main switchboard or PBX, make sure you have a live outside line by dialing '9' or similar

Some mobile carriers provide shortcuts for making international calls - generally, by changing if or how an IDD is dialed. E.g., In the US, t-mobile allows you to dial a '+' instead of an IDD when calling international numbers.